At HP, we try very hard to provide a positive experience to every customer who purchases an HP product. In some cases, like the HP TouchPad where supply has been extremely limited from the start, we simply cannot meet demand. We are now announcing that while some retailers will have limited stock available, HP’s online inventory is depleted.

Thank you for your interest in this product and the feedback you provided. Your input plays a critical role in defining our product roadmap and will help us continue to bring innovative products to market.

I finally have some solid news to share about TouchPad availability.

Before I share, let me first say thank you for enthusiasm for this product. Since we announced the price drop, the number of inquiries about the product and the speed at which it disappeared from inventory has been stunning. I think it’s safe to say we were pleasantly surprised by the response.

Despite announcing an end to manufacturing webOS hardware, we have decided to produce one last run of TouchPads to meet unfulfilled demand. We don’t know exactly when these units will be available or how many we’ll get, and we can’t promise we’ll have enough for everyone. We do know that it will be at least a few weeks before you can purchase. See more information in the updated FAQs below.

Bryna (@BrynaatHP) and I (@MarkatHP) will update you here and on Twitter on the status of the new batch of systems. Please continue to share your thoughts and questions with us. Although we can’t respond to every one directly, we are sharing your feedback with teams inside HP.

Please note that many of the questions below address concern about orders previously placed on our HP Home & Home Office and HP Small & Medium Business online stores. It’s important to note that these are separate stores with slightly different procedures. We also know that we’re sparse on information about availability outside the US. We will share updates on regional availability as the information comes in.

Updated TouchPad Availability & Pricing…

Q: When is HP getting more HP TouchPads? One week, two weeks, a month?

A limited supply are coming and it will be a few weeks before they are available. As we know more about how, when, and where TouchPads will be available, we will communicate that here and through email to those who requested notification. We can tell you that HP’s Small and Medium Business team has sold out of HP TouchPads and will not have more inventory.

Q: Can you comment on whether HP had to manufacture more to meet the recent demand?

HP will be manufacturing a limited quantity of TouchPads with webOS during our fourth fiscal quarter 2011, which ends October 31.

Q: Will HP continue to make more TouchPads with webOS to meet the demand?

HP is discontinuing the development of webOS devices and is winding down device operations within our fourth fiscal quarter 2011.

Q: Will the notification/alert emails go out all at once so everyone has a fair shot?

All those who requested notification have been notified today that more are coming in the future, and will be notified again when more specifics are known.

Q: How does HP plan to address disappointed customers?

All those who requested notification have received a one-time exclusive offer along with their email as our thanks for their patience and loyalty throughout this situation.

Q: What about retailers? Some retailers won’t price match or drop their price to $99.

Each retailer will manage their own policy and process regarding pricing and price matching. Please contact the local retailer of your choice to see what their current position is.

Q: Please limit stock to 1 per person: some people are getting 20 and then selling them on craigslist and eBay for a major profit.

If more inventory is available in the future, there will be an order limit.

Q: What if you already own a TouchPad but want to get $99 pricing?

Please contact the retailer or the specific HP store where you originally purchased for their policy on this question.

Q: What about other regions, such as hp.ca, etc.?

At this time, other regions have limited to no inventory available. Please check with your chosen retailer or your local hp.com web site for more information.

Q: Any news on discounted TouchPad accessories or Pre2 or Veer phones or accessories?

Limited inventory remains on TouchPad and smartphone accessories. Please visit HP Home & Home Office or your chosen retailer for current availability as this situation is changing rapidly.

Information about Online Orders…

Q: What does ‘your order has been captured’ mean?

If you received this message when placing an order, it means the order itself was captured. Because of the fast pace of orders being received, that order may not have been fulfilled once processed. If it was not you should have received a cancelation notice.

Q: The website had issues, so I couldn’t place an order. Can I still order a TouchPad?

More information will be available in the next few days about whether HP’s Home & Home Office Store will have more units available in the future or not. HP’s Small and Medium Business team has sold out of HP TouchPads.

Q: Does my TouchPad order qualify for free shipping?

No other discounts or promotions can be applied to the TouchPad promotion. However, because a Free Shipping offer was on the website for a portion of the promotional period and some customers received Free Shipping as a result, we are waiving ground shipping charges for all customers who ordered the TouchPad after the reduced promotional pricing was announced on Saturday August 20. Ground shipping charges are being manually removed from all orders that had ground shipping. However, for those orders that have already shipped and invoiced, a credit will be applied for the standard ground freight charges and a revised invoice sent.

Regretfully, expedited shipping is not available on the TouchPad promotion orders. If you requested and were charged for expedited shipping, you will receive a credit for those charges. If your order has already shipped and invoiced, a credit will be applied and a revised invoice sent.

Q: Can I use an eCoupon or HP corporate discount to my TouchPad order?

No other discounts or promotions can be applied with the TouchPad promotion.

Q: What if your order status says approved but you haven’t received an email yet?

You should have received either an email confirming your order, or an email canceling your order if we were unable to fulfill it. If you received no follow-up emails after placing your order online, please contact us at www.hpdirect.com/shop/liveassistance

Q: Can I return my HP TouchPad?

No. Any HP TouchPad purchased at the price promotion of $99 and $149 is not eligible for a return.

If you are having technical difficulties with your product or it was damaged during deliver, please contact HP Technical Support at 1-800-474-6836.

Q: What is the process for withdrawing my cancel request?

Unfortunately, if you requested to have your TouchPad order canceled, it is already in process and cannot be stopped. We are not able to reprocess the order due to lack of TouchPad inventory.

More Information about Online Orders from HP’s Home & Home Office store…

Q: I placed my order online with HP’s Home & Home Office Store. How can I check the status of my order from HP?

For Home & Home Office customers you can check your order status here. Once you follow the steps to either enter order number and phone number or sign into the site, you will be shown your order status:

If it shows Shipped, then your order has already shipped.

If it shows Item being processed, then your order is in queue to be shipped and all shipments should be complete by Wednesday August 24, 2011.

If it shows Order Pending, then your order is in review and we ask you to please check your order status again the next business day.

For all other order statuses, please contact our call center at 1-888-476-3988.

Q: Why was my order canceled from HP Home & Home Office Store?

Because of the fast pace of order volume over the weekend, some customers placed orders which we were unable to fulfill. Those customers received cancelation emails informing them that we were unable to fulfill their order and that their credit would appear on their bank statements within 3-5 business days. If you have not received an email notification and are still uncertain, please visit www.hpdirect.com/shop/liveassistance for more details.

More Information about Online Orders from HP’s Small & Medium Business store…

Q: I ordered from the HP SMB Store during the promotion but the discounted price was not reflected in my cart/order confirmation page/invoice. Is HP honoring the discount price?

Yes, some of our SMB customers may have experienced a pricing error while purchasing on August 20th and 21st. We are in the process of ensuring every order is honored at the discounted price. Most orders are being manually updated to reflect accurate pricing, prior to invoicing being sent. However, for those orders that have already shipped and invoiced, a credit will be applied for the difference and a revised invoice sent.

Q: I placed my order online with HP’s SMB Store. How do I confirm that it was received?

For orders placed after 4am CT on Monday 22nd August, US SMB had already sold out of HP TouchPad. We are unable to fulfill these orders and they have been cancelled. If you saw a reserve hold for the amount of your order on your credit card, no actual charges have been made and this reserve hold will be released now that the order has been cancelled.

If you placed an order prior to 4am CT Monday, August 22, we are working through the large volume of orders, verifying payment details and seeking to source inventory for fulfillment. This process is taking longer than first anticipated. At this time, we cannot guarantee supply to all these orders but are working to supply as many orders as possible.If you saw a reserve hold for the amount of your order on your credit card and your order cannot be fulfilled, no actual charges have been made, and this reserve hold will be released if the order is cancelled.

You can check your order status here. If your order is not recognized, please check your order status again the next business day.When inventory has been allocated the status will change to “shipped.” Please note that planned ship and delivery dates on the order status page are not accurate for TouchPad orders. You can only be certain that we have identified a unit to fulfill your order once the order status shows a shipment tracking number.

Q: Why was my order canceled from HP Small & Medium Business Store?

If you placed an order for a HP TouchPad on Monday, August 22nd – Wednesday, August 24th this was after a Sold Out message was posted on our webstore. All of these orders are being cancelled. If you saw a reserve hold for the amount of your order on your credit card, no actual charges have been made and this reserve hold will be released as soon as the order is canceled.

There are several reasons that your order would have been canceled if you placed it on Saturday, August 20th or Sunday, August 21st, such as a duplicate order found or billing issues on the account. If you believe your order was canceled in error, please contact an HP Customer Service Representative at 1-866-625-0242 (Dial option #3) or via Email Customer Service option who will be happy to assist you. Please be aware that we are experiencing significant call volumes with extended wait times, so we ask for your patience.

Mark Budgell

Mark Budgell (@MarkatHP) is Editor-in-Chief of The Next Bench and a Social Media Strategist.

In regards to those who already own a TouchPad... what if the retailer says they won't price-match?In an interview with allthingsd.com, Stephen DeWitt said all current customers would be "taken care of" in this regard. How is HP handling this? Who can customers contact at HP to receive a refund?

I ordered 1 Touchpad and 1 Palm Pre2 from the HP Home store on Aug 19th, within the first hour the price dropped happened. I thought orders were being fulfilled in a first come first served basis, however this was not case as my order was canceled 5 days later. I know for a fact that several people who ordered after me had their orders fulfilled. Its seems that if you ordered just the touchpad or just the palm pre2 your order was fulfilled, however for some reason people who had ordered both had their orders canceled. This does not seem fair as many people reported buying multiple touchpads and having all their orders fulfilled. I did not attempt to order a touchpad elsewhere, I thought that my order would be fulfilled because I had ordered so early. Now that you may be expecting new stock to arrive, I wish you had back ordered the items instead of canceling them.

Q: I placed my order online with HP’s Home & Home Office Store. How can I check the status of my order from HP?

For Home & Home Office customers you can check your order status here. Once you follow the steps to either enter order number and phone number or sign into the site, you will be shown your order status:

If it shows Shipped, then your order has already shipped.

I had an order on Aug 21st and my order status shows shipped on August 27th, however I dont have a tracking number. How can I confirm the order was shipped? I cant get through to someone on the phone and all I've read is that you guys are trying to confirm you have enough units available.

im really like this tablet because it is user friendly and the function of multi-tasking. currently i have an hp laptop and ipad, the problem with the ipad is that i cant use for my work. so i hope that this tablet will be available soon. ty

When the touchpads are sold again, will it be limited to one per household? If so, will that be based on billing or shipping address? Is HP planning to sell the 64gb white touchpad? One or two retailers were selling them for $200, and I heard other retailers didn't sell them because they had already shipped their inventory back.

I am a loyal HP buyer; since 1996, I have purchased 6pcs, and three printers, and have sung the praises of HP to many folks who have also purchased HP because of my recommendations. As a single parent, I can't just throw money around, especially not on a "goodie" for myself, but the Touchpad caught my eye and I have a business trip coming up that this would have been awesome for. I set money aside out of my paychecks because I wanted one. Well, the weekend I finally had it saved up and was to purchase mine, HP pulled the rug out from under me and slashed prices. I tried and tried, finally realizing that they were available on the Small Business site and got so far as to get it in my basket but try as I might, I couldn't get the transaction completed.

Since then I have stalked Touchpads online, chased around the lower half of the state of Michigan (no small feat when you are handicapped) and still can't lay my hands on one unless I want to pay 3-4 times the now advertised price which seems like a slap in the face. I signed up for the "notify" me thing, but somehow I doubt that I will be getting one because I am sure there are probably 100 people signed up for every one HP will sell.

I hate to say it, but for the first time in 15 years I will probably buy something OTHER THAN HP.

Limit of one per person? I want one, my husband wants one, and I think it would be a great Christmas present for our daughter. That is 3 - what is up with the limit? I understand not wanting people to sell them on eBay, but let's be reasonable. Set a reasonable limit - not one.

Cry me a river. Everybody (including myself) has their own sob story about how they haven't been able to buy one. I'm a software developer and could use it as a development platform for my job but haven't been able to track one down either. Please, spare us the theatrics. We're all in the same boat.

You people amaze me. "I'm a loyal HP buyer, since 1996, I've purchased 6pcs and 3 printers". Are you kidding me? My employer has purchased over a thousand PC's every three years and none of its employees could get one. The reason HP is getting rid of its PC and accessories business is because it doesn't make the company any money.

"I hate to say it, but for the first time in 15 years I will probably buy something OTHER THAN HP."

This is too funny. You have NO CHOICE but to buy OTHER THAN HP. They are getting out of the PC business. You won't be able to buy an HP PC or printer in the future anyway.

Lastly, to the woman complaining about the 1 per person limit. Stop being greedy! If you and your husband and kid all want one, then feel free to go to the numerous retail stores that are selling them at normal price and BUY THEM. Otherwise, everyone should have a chance at buying a discounted one. Two other families should not be left out because you wanted three and they could get none. The gall of some people....

If it becomes "limit 1 per customer" for these 2 discounted touchpads, please also specify whether it would be "limit 1 for 16GB, 1 for 32GB, per customer", or "limit 1 for any touchpad order regardless 16GB or 32GB"? Thanks.

I ordered from SMB on the 20th at 11am. I did receive a confirmation email but no shipment email. Is there any sense of order on how they are fulfilling orders? Appears people who ordered on Sunday are receiving before people who ordered on Fri/Sat. Doesn't make sense to me why first ordered wouldn't be first shipped? I have called 3 times and gotten 3 different answers on when my touchpad might ship. Is there anyway to really find out or do I just have to keep waiting until I see a shipment or cancellation email?